Abstract
CONTEXT: The alternative Indian medicine has been the talk of the hour. This study is an attempt to evaluate the efficacy of the herbal extract panchavalkala in lobuloplasty patients. AIM: The ultimate aim is to evaluate and compare wound healing (vrana ropana) in bilateral lobuloplasty with and without 5% w/v panchavalkala extract. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A comparative in vivo double-blinded randomized control trial study was carried out in the department of oral and maxillofacial surgery on 25 patients having bilateral complete/partial ear lobe clefts. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-five patients requiring the treatment of bilateral lobuloplasty were divided into two sites: Site A (group 1): lobuloplasty with the use of 5% w/v panchavalkala extract; site B (group 2): lobuloplasty without the use of 5% w/v panchavalkala extract (neosporin). Panchavalkala, which is a combination of the barks of five trees - Ashwatha, Plaksha, Parish, Vata, and Udumbara - is shown to have superior vrana-ropana (wound healing) properties. The goal of the study is to examine the impact of panchavalkala extract on wound healing and its effect in shortening the duration of wound healing. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The wound healing was assessed after 24 hours, on the 7(th) day, 15(th) day, and after 1 month post suturing using the criteria including slough, swelling, redness, pain, discharge, tenderness, and malodor. The statistical test used was Mann-Whitney U-test. RESULTS: The results showed that after 15 days, both the groups showed statistically significant results with respect to slough (P = .012), swelling (P = .021), and redness (P = .039) but showed insignificant results with pain (P = .225), discharge (P = .153), tenderness (P = .077), and malodour (P = .317) at day 15 time interval. CONCLUSION: The study concludes that 5% W/V panchavalkala extract clinically reduces infection, speeds the debridement of wound, and can be used in vrana ropana in the maxillofacial region and would be an excellent alternative for conventional allopathic ointments.